The Cullen's read Breaking Dawn
by Weirdfeather101
Summary: As the title explains it, The Cullen's, along with Bella and Renesmee read Breaking Dawn. May add in more characters as it goes. This is a couple months after Breaking Dawn has happened. Bella is changed and has had Renesmee, who is now 3 years old. Please read and Review, it makes me really happy to get the feedback.
1. Finding The Book & Preface

**Finding The Book & Preface**

(Bella's P.O.V)

I smiled to myself as I looked down at my daughter resting peacefully in her bed. A small laugh passed through my lips, as I pushed her little curls away from her face.

Renesmee now looked as if she were a normal 3 year old, but she was anything except normal. Physically she may look 3, but I swear she may be already as smart as a teenager, possible even her dad. I sighed. I guess I just wanted my little girl to stay young for a while.

As I sat down on her bed, with incredible stillness, I held her hand gently against my cheek. Her dreams were so much more peaceful after the war. I felt the corners of my cheeks pull up again that night. It was all over. We could live in peace, without worrying.

I was careful though, not to say forever. I've learned my lessons thinking that way. Plus there would always be danger out there, but now I new how to avoid it. And for that I was grate-full.

I heard the door open and turned to see Edward standing in the doorway. My husband smiled softly at the sight of us, before slowly making his way towards us. He wrapped his arms around my waste, and I leaned back into him. We stayed this way for a while, all three of us. There was no need for words.

After a few hours, we got up and quietly left her room. Despite the desire of wanting to spend alone time with Edward, we decided to go see the Cullen's. We held hands as we raced back to the main house.

It was oddly quiet when we came through the front door within seconds of leaving our cottage. As we walked into the living room, everyone was sitting staring at what, a couple of books in Alice's hands.

They all heard our presence, and turned to look at us. I froze staring at them confused. "Alice? What is this?"

I heard Edward stiffen next to me, as he read her thoughts. I however was still thoroughly confused.

"Alice?" I asked again. She sighed at my persistence, and handed me the book they all seemed to be interested in.

I glanced down at the back of the book and read.

"**To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both a fantasy and a nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, she has endured a tumultuous year of temptation, loss and strife to reach the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice, to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or pursue a fully human life, has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs.**

**Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating and unfathomable consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life – first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse – seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed… forever?"**

My face must have been priceless, because Emmet laughed. That booming thunder laugh of his.

"I found them at a book store, when I was out shopping." Alice told me.

I continued looking at her impatiently, so she went on. "Well we were just debating if we should read it or not."

"Hell Yea!" Emmet boomed.

Rose glared at him, before whacking the back of his head, shutting him up.

"I say we read it" Carlisle spoke up. "For all we know it could be useful."

"I agree" a familiar soft voice spoke up from the doorway. My little girl ran towards me, "I wanna hear about Momma and Daddy."

I sighed as I gathered my little girl up in my arms. "I guess we're reading." After all, none of us could her "no". We were all wrapped around her little finger.

She smiled that radiant smile of hers, which made of all melt. I swear she got her Daddy's smile.

So we all sat down on the couches. "I'll read first" I informed everybody, taking the book from Alice.

"_**Preface" **_

"**I'd had more than my fair share of near-death experiences;**

Jasper laughed along with the rest of us, "Yea, your like a death magnet"

Edward winced at his words.

**it wasn't something you ever really got used to. It seemed oddly inevitable, though, facing death again. Like I really was marked for disaster. I'd escaped time and time again, but it kept coming back for me. **

"This is too depressing" Emmet whined.

**When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. **

"Now why would you love someone who was killing you? That's just stupid." Emmet asked again. I was seriously considering slapping him, but Rose beat me to it.

**How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give your beloved, how could you not give it?"**

"**If it was someone you truly loved?"**

"Is it talking about me mamma?" Nessie asked in a quiet voice looking at me through though long lashes. Well she caught on fast.

"I think so sweetheart." Edward answered before I could. I leaned into his side, resting my head on his shoulder. Renesmee crawled into my lap.

"I'll read next" Alice vollenteered. I handed her the book.

"**Chapter 1: Engaged"****, **Her voice rang out, loud and clear.

"Oh what a interesting chapter title" Emmet mumbled, "Are they all gonna be this dumb."

Edward growled.

Ah, this was going to be a long book.

**Ok, so I hope you like it so far! :D Comment and tell me what you think about it. **

**Anyways, like I have done with all my other fanfiction story's, I will ask trivia about the books each chapter. **

**Questions:**

**1.) Where does Bella move to? And why?**

**2.) In Twilight, when she first saw the Cullen's, what two people does Bella say might be the prettiest out of all of them? **

**3.) What book does Edward leave Bella and why?**

**4.) In Breaking Dawn, why is Edward forced to change Bella to a vampire?**


	2. Chapter 1- Engaged

**So here is this chapter you have all been waiting for, remember to review! **

**Anyways for answering the questions correct and first, this chapter is dedicated to **

**1.) Embrace1another**

**2.) AndiCarnegie**

**3.) Jtuberville1**

"**Engaged" **Alice read

**No one is staring at you, I promised myself. No one is staring at you. No one is staring at you.**

"Why was everyone starring at you Momma?" Nessie asked me in her cute little voice.

I looked down adoringly at her, "I think it was because of the car, sweetheart."

She nodded, then looked at Alice to continue.

**But, because I couldn't lie convincingly even to myself, I had to check.**

"You can't lie to anyone Bella" Emmet said laughing.

I just glared back at him defiantly, even though it was true.

**As I sat waiting for one of the three traffic lights in town to turn green, I peeked to the right—in her minivan, Mrs. Weber had turned her whole torso in my direction. Her eyes bored into mine, and I flinched back, wondering why she didn't drop her gaze or look ashamed. **

"Well that's mean. Daddy always said it's rude to stare at people." Renesmee frowned.

**It was still considered rude to stare at people, wasn't it? Didn't that apply to me anymore?**

"See even momma agrees."

**Then I remembered that these windows were so darkly tinted that she probably had no idea if it was even me in here, let alone that I'd caught her looking. I tried to take some comfort in the fact that she wasn't really staring at me, just the car.**

"God Edward. What car did you buy that is getting such a reaction." Jasper muttered laughing as Bella groaned remembering 'That' car.

**My car. Sigh.**

**I glanced to the left and groaned. Two pedestrians were frozen on the sidewalk, missing their chance to cross as they stared. Behind them, Mr. Marshall was gawking through the plate-glass window of his little souvenir shop. At least he didn't have his nose pressed up against the glass. Yet.**

Everyone laughed, while Bella crinkled her nose in disgust.

**The light turned green and, in my hurry to escape, I stomped on the gas pedal without thinking—the normal way I would have punched it to get my ancient Chevy truck moving.**

"I miss my car" Bella cried leaning into Edward more.

"Sweetie, you said when it 'died' I could get you a new one."

"Grrr"

He laughed quietly.

**Engine snarling like a hunting panther, the car jolted forward so fast that my body slammed into the black leather seat and my stomach flattened against my spine.**

"See! I was better off with my truck" Bella whined.

**"Arg!" I gasped as I fumbled for the brake. Keeping my head, I merely tapped the pedal. The car lurched to an absolute standstill anyway.**

"Wow Bella" Emmet laughed at her.

"Oh enough Emmet" Esme scolded her son.

**I couldn't bear to look around at the reaction. If there had been any doubt as to who was driving this car before, it was gone now. With the toe of my shoe, I gently nudged the gas pedal down one half millimeter, and the car shot forward again.**

**I managed to reach my goal, the gas station. If I hadn't been running on vapors, I wouldn't have come into town at all. I was going without a lot of things these days, like Pop-Tarts and shoelaces, to avoid spending time in public.**

"Pop-tarts?" Rosalie asked interrupting herself.

"What?" Bella said defensively, "They were good."

Renesmee bobbed her head up and down. Although she didn't prefer human food, Pop-tops were her favorite.

Everyone just shook there heads, amused.

**Moving as if I were in a race, I got the hatch open, the cap off, the card scanned, and the nozzle in the tank within seconds. Of course, there was nothing I could do to make the numbers on the gauge pick up the pace.**

"Ah I hate that", Emmet groaned.

"Yes" Carlisle agreed, "We may be vampires but there are some thing we just can't do anything about."

**They ticked by sluggishly, almost as if they were doing it just to annoy me.**

"Imagine that"

**It wasn't bright out—a typical drizzly day in Forks, Washington—but I still felt like a spotlight was trained on me, drawing attention to the delicate ring on my left hand. At times like this, sensing the eyes on my back, it felt as if the ring were pulsing like a neon sign: Look at me, look at me.**

Edward looked at Bella "Did it really bother you that much."

Bella thought for a second, "No I was just over thinking it all, over thinking what people would think of me. It was stupid." She assured him.

He smiled after a second, carefully taking her hand in his.

**It was stupid to be so self-conscious, and I knew that. Besides my dad and mom, did it really matter what people were saying about my engagement? About my new car? About my mysterious acceptance into an Ivy League college? About the shiny black credit card that felt red-hot in my back pocket right now?**

"Now that wasn't needed. I'm not even sure if I ever used it."

Alice spoke up, "Well you should've used it. I mean all the new clothes you could have bought…..", Alice seemed to be trailing off.

It was only when Jasper shook her that she came back to reality and began reading.

**"Yeah, who cares what they think," I muttered under my breath.**

"Go Mommy! You tell them."

**"Urn, miss?" a man's voice called.  
**

**I turned, and then wished I hadn't.**

**Two men stood beside a fancy SUV with brand-new kayaks tied to the top. Neither of them was looking at me; they both were staring at the car.**

"Of course" mumbled Bella.

**Personally, I didn't get it. But then, I was just proud I could distinguish between the symbols for Toyota, Ford, and Chevy. This car was glossy black, sleek, and pretty, but it was still just a car to me.**

**"I'm sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what kind of car you're driving?" the tall one asked.**

**"Urn, a Mercedes, right?"**

**"Yes," the man said politely while his shorter friend rolled his eyes at my answer. "I know. But I was wondering, is that... are you driving a Mercedes Guardian?" The man said the name with reverence. I had a feeling this guy would get along well with Edward Cullen, my... my fiance **

Bella and Edward both smiled at that. And Renesmee giggled.

**(there really was no getting around that truth with the wedding just days away). "They aren't supposed to be available in Europe yet," the man went on, "let alone here." While his eyes traced the contours of my car—it didn't look much different from any other Mercedes sedan to me, but what did I know?—I briefly contemplated my issues with words like fiance, wedding, husband, etc.**

**I just couldn't put it together in my head.**

**On the one hand, I had been raised to cringe at the very thought of poofy white dresses and bouquets.**

"How Bella" Edward said, laughing into my ear.

**But more than that, I just couldn't reconcile a staid, respectable, dull concept like husband with my concept of Edward. It was like casting an archangel as an accountant; I couldn't visualize him in any common place role.**

Emmet rolled his eyes.

**Like always, as soon as I started thinking about Edward I was caught up in a dizzy spin of fantasies. The stranger had to clear his throat to get my attention; he was still waiting for an answer about the car's make and model.**

**"I don't know," I told him honestly.**

**"Do you mind if I take a picture with it?" It took me a second to process that. "Really? You want to take a picture with the car?" "Sure—nobody is going to believe me if I don't get proof." "Urn. Okay. Fine." I swiftly put away the nozzle and crept into the front seat to hide while the enthusiast dug a huge professional-looking camera out of his backpack. He and his friend took turns posing by the hood, and then they went to take pictures at the back end.**

"How weird" Jasper laughed at their behavior.

"Humans are weird."

**"I miss my truck," I whimpered to myself.**

**Very, very convenient—too convenient—that my truck would wheeze its last wheeze just weeks after Edward and I had agreed to our lopsided compromise, one detail of which was that he be allowed to replace my truck when it passed on. Edward swore it was only to be expected; my truck had lived along, full life and then expired of natural causes. According to him. And, of course, I had no way to verify his story or to try to raise my truck from the dead on my own. My favorite mechanic—I stopped that thought cold, refusing to let it come to a conclusion. Instead, I listened to the men's voices outside, muted by the car walls.**

"Jacob was your favorite mechanic, right momma?"

Yes." I answered her.

**"... went at it with a flamethrower in the online video. Didn't even pucker the paint.""Of course not. You could roll a tank over this baby. Not much of a market for one over here. Designed for Middle East diplomats, arms dealers, and drug lords mostly." "Think she's something?" the short one asked in a softer voice. **

Edward growled, but i put my hand on his arm to calm him. He smiled back at me.

**I ducked my head, cheeks flaming.  
**

Edward touched my cheek, "I miss that" he murmered against my cheek. **  
**

**"Huh," the tall one said. "Maybe. Can't imagine what you'd need missile-proof glass and four thousand pounds of body armor for around here. Must be headed somewhere more hazardous."Body armor. Four thousand pounds of body armor. And missile-proof glass? Nice. What had happened to good old-fashioned bulletproof?**

**Well, at least this made some sense—if you had a twisted sense of humor.**

"Emmet" we all muttered. He just laughed. When doesn't he?

**It wasn't like I hadn't expected Edward to take advantage of our deal, to weight it on his side so that he could give so much more than he would receive. **

I glared at my husband.

He just smiled cheekily back at me, kissing my head.

**I'd agreed that he could replace my truck when it needed replacing, not expecting that moment to come quite so soon, of course. When I'd been forced to admit that the truck had become no more than a still-life tribute to classic Chevys on my curb, I knew his idea of a replacement was probably going to embarrass me. Make me the focus of stares and whispers.**

"Oh and i bet you just loved all of that attention." Emmet joked.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

My daughter giggled at me, while Edward just shook his head. Well he can be the responsible one if he wants.

**I'd been right about that part. But even in my darkest imaginings I had not foreseen that he would get me two cars.**

**The "before" car and the "after" car, he'd explained when I'd flipped out.  
**

**** **This was just the "before" car. He'd told me it was a loaner and promised that he was returning it after the wedding. It all had made absolutely no sense to me. Until now.  
**

**** **Ha ha. Because I was so fragilely human, so accident-prone, so much a victim to my own dangerous bad luck, apparently I needed a tank-resistant car to keep me safe. Hilarious. I was sure he and his brothers had enjoyed the joke quite a bit behind my back.  
**

**** "Oh we did, little sister." Jasper smiled.

**Or maybe, just maybe,a small voice whispered in my head, it's not a joke, silly. Maybe he's really that worried about you. This wouldn't be the first time he's gone a little overboard trying to protect you.  
**

The whole family laughed, "Got that right." Alice muttered.

**I sighed.**

**I hadn't seen the "after" car yet. It was hidden under a sheet in the deepest corner of the Cullen's garage.  
**

**I knew most people would have peeked by now, but I really didn't want to know.  
**

My little girl looked at me like i was crazy.

**** **Probably no body armor on that car—because I wouldn't need it after the honeymoon. Virtual indestructibility was just one of the many perks I was looking forward to. The best parts about being a Cullen were not expensive cars and impressive credit cards.**

Alice looked at me, "Your crazy Bella. Without credit cards how would you go shopping?!"

There was my Alice.

**"Hey," the tall man called, cupping his hands to the glass in an effort to peer in. **

"Thats what the dark tinted windows were suppose to prevent." I could hear Edward say under his breath. Of course we could all hear though.

**"We're done now. Thanks a lot!" "You're welcome," I called back, and then tensed as I started the engine and eased the pedal—ever so gently—down_No matter how many times I drove down the familiar road home, I still couldn't make the rain-faded flyers fade into the background. Each one of them, stapled to telephone poles and taped to street signs,was like a fresh slap in the face. A well-deserved slap in the face. My mind was sucked back into the thought I'd interrupted so immediately before. I couldn't avoid it on this road. Not with pictures of my favorite mechanic flashing past me at regular intervals.  
**

**My best friend. My Jacob.  
**

Edward growled angrily. I shook my head, and reassured him that he was "My Edward" now.

**** **The have you SEEN this boy? posters were not Jacob's father's idea. It had been my father, Charlie,who'd printed up the flyers and spread them all over town. And not just Forks, but Port Angeles and Sequim and Hoquiam and Aberdeen and every other town in the Olympic Peninsula. He'd made sure that all the police stations in the state of Washington had the same flyer hanging on the wall, too. His own station had a whole cork board dedicated to finding Jacob. A cork board that was mostly empty, much to his disappointment and frustration.  
**

"Jakey went missing" My daughter asked me. She sounded worried.

"Don't worry babe, he comes back." i assure her.

**** **My dad was disappointed with more than the lack of response. He was most disappointed with Billy, Jacob's father—and Charlie's closest friend.  
**

**** **For Billy's not being more involved with the search for his sixteen-year-old "runaway." For Billy's refusing to put up the flyers in La Push, the reservation on the coast that was Jacob's home. For his seeming resigned to Jacob's disappearance, as if there was nothing he could do. For his saying, "Jacob's grown up now. He'll come home if he wants to."And he was frustrated with me, for taking Billy's side.  
**

**** **I wouldn't put up posters, either. Because both Billy and I knew where Jacob was, roughly speaking,and we also knew that no one had seen this boy.  
**

**** **The flyers put the usual big, fat lump in my throat, the usual stinging tears in my eyes, and I was gladEdward was out hunting this Saturday. If Edward saw my reaction, it would only make him feel terrible, too.  
**

Edward wrapped his arms around me, pulling both me and Renesmee into his chest.

**** **Of course, there were drawbacks to it being Saturday. As I turned slowly and carefully onto my street, I could see my dad's police cruiser in the driveway of our home. He'd skipped fishing again today. Still sulking about the wedding.  
**

Renesmee frowned. Probably wondering why grandpa didn't want us to get married.

**** **So I wouldn't be able to use the phone inside. But I had to call_I parked on the curb behind the Chevy sculpture and pulled the cell phone Edward had given me for emergencies out of the glove compartment. I dialed, keeping my finger on the "end" button as the phone rang. Just in case.  
**

**** **"Hello?" Seth Clearwater answered, and I sighed in relief. I was way too chicken to speak to his old er sister, Leah. The phrase "bite my head off was not entirely a figure of speech when it came to Leah.  
**

"Why would anyone want to bite your head off mommy?" Nessie wondered.

"More like the other way around" Emmet chuckled at his joke, while Rosalie smacked him.

"Ow" he grumbled.

**** **"Hey, Seth, it's Bella." **

"Seth!" Renesmee squealed. She probably loved him almost as much as she loved Jacob.

**"Oh, hiya, Bella! How are you?" Choked up. Desperate for reassurance. "Fine."**

"Liar." Emmet muttered. I was about ready to beat the crap out of him.

**"Calling for an update?" "You're psychic." "Not hardly. I'm no Alice—you're just predictable," he joked. Among the Quileute pack down at LaPush, only Seth was comfortable even mentioning the Cullen's by name, let alone joking about things like my nearly omniscient sister-in-law-to-be.  
**

Alice beamed at the mention of herself.

**** **"I know I am." I hesitated for a minute. "How is he?" Seth sighed. "Same as ever. He won't talk, though we know he hears us. He's trying not to think human,you know. Just going with his instincts." "Do you know where he is now?" "Somewhere in northern Canada. I can't tell you which province. He doesn't pay much attention to state lines.""Any hint that he might...""He's not coming home, Bella. Sorry."**

"Mommy!?" Guess who?

"Don't worry baby. I promise he does."

**I swallowed. "S'okay, Seth. I knew before I asked. I just can't help wishing." "Yeah. We all feel the same way." "Thanks for putting up with me, Seth. I know the others must give you a hard time." "They're not your hugest fans," he agreed cheerfully. "Kind of lame, I think. Jacob made his choices, you made yours. Jake doesn't like their attitude about it. 'Course, he isn't super thrilled that you're checking up on him, either." I gasped. "I thought he wasn't talking to you?" "He can't hide everything from us, hard as he's trying."So Jacob knew I was worried. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Well, at least he knew I hadn't skipped off into the sunset and forgotten him completely. He might have imagined me capable of that.**

**"I guess I'll see you at the... wedding," I said, forcing the word out through my teeth.  
**

"Bella" Edward started.

"It's fine darling" i cut him off. "You know how i was at first. No i'm perfectly happy."

He nodded.

**** **"Yeah, me and my mom will be there. It was cool of you to ask us."I smiled at the enthusiasm in his voice. Though inviting the Clearwaters had been Edward's idea, I was glad he'd thought of it. Having Seth there would be nice—a link, however tenuous, to my missing best man. "It wouldn't be the same without you." "Tell Edward I said hi, 'kay?" **

"Kid is like obsessed with you." Emmet said.

"Well i think it's sweet!" Esme told us.

**"Sure thing." I shook my head. The friendship that had sprung up between Edward and Seth was something that still boggled my mind. It was proof, though, that things didn't have to be this way. That vampires and werewolves could get along just fine, thank you very much, if they were of a mind to.  
**

"And it does!"

**Not everybody liked this idea.  
**

**** **"Ah," Seth said, his voice cracking up an octave. "Er, Leah's home." "Oh! Bye!" The phone went dead. I left it on the seat and prepared myself mentally to go inside the house, where Charlie would be waiting.**

**My poor dad had so much to deal with right now. Jacob-the-runaway was just one of the straws on his overburdened back. He was almost as worried about me, his barely-a-legal-adult daughter who was about to become a Mrs. in just a few days' time.  
**

Everyone laughed at the way she said it.

**** **I walked slowly through the light rain, remembering the night we'd told him_As the sound of Charlie's cruiser announced his return, the ring suddenly weighed a hundred pounds on my finger. I wanted to shove my left hand in a pocket, or maybe sit on it, but Edward's cool, firm grasp kept it front and center.  
**

"Forceful." Emmet muttered, before i lost my cool and punched him in the stomach.

I watched in satisfaction as he cursed in pain.

**** **"Stop fidgeting, Bella. Please try to remember that you're not confessing to a murder here." "Easy for you to say." I listened to the ominous sound of my father's boots clomping up the sidewalk. The key rattled in the already open door. The sound reminded me of that part of the horror movie when the victim realizes she's forgotten to lock her dead bolt.  
**

"You are way too worked up." Alice told me.

**** **"Calm down, Bella," Edward whispered, listening to the acceleration of my heart.**

**** **The door slammed against the wall, and I flinched like I'd been tasered.  
**

**** **"Hey, Charlie," Edward called, entirely relaxed.  
**

**** **"No!" I protested under my breath.  
**

**** **"What?" Edward whispered back.  
**

**** **"Wait till he hangs his gun up!"**

"I wonder what would have happened if he did shoot Edward?" Jasper wondered.

Renesmee whimpered, hugging her daddy around the neck.

"Nothing good" Carlisle responded, "I don't know how we would explain why Edward would't have even a dent on him."

**Edward chuckled and ran his free hand through his tousled bronze hair.  
**

"Obsessive much."

(Punch)

"Holly ****! Ow"

**** **Charlie came around the corner, still in his uniform, still armed, and tried not to make a face when he spied us sitting together on the love seat. Lately, he'd been putting forth a lot of effort to like Edward more. Of course, this revelation was sure to end that effort immediately.  
**

Edward chuckled.

**** **"Hey, kids. What's up?" "We'd like to talk to you," Edward said, so serene. "We have some good news."Charlie's expression went from strained friendliness to black suspicion in a second.  
**

**** **"Good news?" Charlie growled, looking straight at me.  
**

**** **"Have a seat, Dad."He raised one eyebrow, stared at me for five seconds, then stomped to the recliner and sat down on the very edge, his back ramrod straight.  
**

**** **"Don't get worked up, Dad," I said after a moment of loaded silence. **

**"Everything's okay."Edward grimaced, and I knew it was in objection to the word okay. He probably would have used something more like wonderful or perfect or glorious.**

**"Sure it is, Bella, sure it is. If everything is so great, then why are you sweating bullets?" "I'm not sweating," I lied.**

**I leaned away from his fierce scowl, cringing into Edward, and instinctively wiped the back of my right hand across my forehead to remove the evidence.**

**** **"You're pregnant!" Charlie exploded. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" Though the question was clearly meant for me, he was glaring at Edward now, and I could have sworn I saw his hand twitch toward the gun.  
**

"I would pay to see that!" Emmet yelled.

"Shut up" we all yelled back.

**** **"No! Of course I'm not!" I wanted to elbow Edward in the ribs, but I knew that move would only give me a bruise. I'd told Edward that people would immediately jump to this conclusion! What other possible reason would sane people have for getting married at eighteen? (His answer then had made me roll my eyes. Love. Right.) Charlie's glower lightened a shade. It was usually pretty clear on my face when I was telling the truth, and he believed me now. "Oh. Sorry." "Apology accepted." There was a long pause. After a moment, I realized everyone was waiting for me to say something. I looked up at Edward, panic-stricken. There was no way I was going to get the words out.  
**

**** **He smiled at me and then squared his shoulders and turned to my father.  
**

**** **"Charlie, I realize that I've gone about this out of order. Traditionally, I should have asked you first. I mean no disrespect, but since Bella has already said yes and I don't want to diminish her choice in the matter, instead of asking you for her hand, I'm asking you for your blessing. We're getting married,Charlie. I love her more than anything in the world, more than my own life, and—by some miracle—she loves me that way, too. Will you give us your blessing?" He sounded so sure, so calm. For just an instant, listening to the absolute confidence in his voice, I experienced a rare moment of insight, i could see, fleetingly, the way the world looked to him. For the length of one heartbeat, this news made perfect sense.  
**

"Awe how cute!" Esme cooed.

**** **And then I caught sight of the expression on Charlie's face, his eyes now locked on the ring.  
**

**** **I held my breath while his skin changed colors—fair to red, red to purple, purple to blue. **

"Oh my" Alice said.

**I started to getup—I'm not sure what I planned to do; maybe use the Himlich maneuver to make sure he wasn't choking—but Edward squeezed my hand and murmured "Give him a minute" so low that only I could hear.  
**

**** **The silence was much longer this time. Then, gradually, shade by shade, Charlie's color returned to normal. His lips pursed, and his eyebrows furrowed; I recognized his "deep in thought" expression. He studied the two of us for a long moment, and I felt Edward relax at my side.  
**

**** **"Guess I'm not that surprised," Charlie grumbled. "Knew I'd have to deal with something like this soon enough."I exhaled.  
**

**** **"You sure about this?" Charlie demanded, glaring at me.  
**

**** **"I'm one hundred percent sure about Edward," I told him without missing a beat.  
**

"ERRG wrong answer!" Emmet shouted suddenly.

**** **"Getting married, though? What's the rush?" He eyed me suspiciously again.  
**

**** **The rush was due to the fact that I was getting closer to nineteen every stinking day, while Edward stayed frozen in all his seventeen-year-old perfection, as he had for over ninety years. **

"Your old" Renesmme told Daddy, looking up at him under those brown eyelashes.

Edward smiled at her.

**Not that this fact necessitated marriage in my book, but the wedding was required due to the delicate and tangled compromise Edward and I had made to finally get to this point, the brink of my transformation from mortal to immortal.  
**

Edward winced.

**** **These weren't things I could explain to Charlie.  
**

"Of course not."

**** **"We're going away to Dartmouth together in the fall, Charlie," Edward reminded him. "I'd like to do that,well, the right way. It's how I was raised." He shrugged.  
**

**** **He wasn't exaggerating; they'd been big on old-fashioned morals during World War I.  
**

**** **Charlie's mouth twisted to the side. Looking for an angle to argue from. But what could he say? I'd prefer you live in sin first? He was a dad; his hands were tied.  
**

"Ooh you devious little girl."

"Emmet! Your getting on my nerves. Enough. Or your sleeping on the couch tonight" Rosalie told him angrily.

Emmet gulped and shut up.

**** **"Knew this was coming," he muttered to himself, frowning. Then, suddenly, his face went perfectly smooth and blank.  
**

**** **"Dad?" I asked anxiously. I glanced at Edward, but I couldn't read his face, either, as he watchedCharlie.  
**

**** **"Ha!" Charlie exploded. I jumped in my seat. "Ha, ha, ha!"I stared incredulously as Charlie doubled over in laughter; his whole body shook with it.  
**

"Well that was….. unexpected" Jasper noted. Everyone nodded expect for me and Edward who had been there.

**** **I looked at Edward for a translation, but Edward had his lips pressed tightly together, like he was trying to hold back laughter himself.  
**

**** **"Okay, fine," Charlie choked out. "Get married." Another roll of laughter shook through him. "But..." "But what?" I demanded.  
**

**** **"But you have to tell your mom! I'm not saying one word to Renee! That's all yours!" He busted into loud guffaws.  
**

"Oh" came the response from the Cullen Family.

**** **I paused with my hand on the doorknob, smiling. Sure, at the time, Charlie's words had terrified me. The ultimate doom: telling Renee. Early marriage was higher up on her blacklist than boiling live puppies.  
**

**** **Who could have foreseen her response? Not me. Certainly not Charlie. Maybe Alice, but I hadn't thought to ask her.  
**

"Probably." She agreed. "But i wasn't looking for it."

**** **"Well, Bella," Renee had said after I'd choked and stuttered out the impossible words: Mom, I'm marrying Edward. "Im a little miffed that you waited so long to tell me. Plane tickets only get more expensive. Oooh," she'd fretted. "Do you think Phil's cast will be off by then? It will spoil the pictures if he's not in a tux—"**

"She was so excited!" Esme beamed, as Carlisle smiled and hugged her tightly.

**"Back up a second, Mom." I'd gasped. "What do you mean, waited so long? I just got en-en . . ."—I'd been unable to force out the word engaged—"things settled, you know, today." **

**"Today? Really? That is a surprise. I assumed ...""What did you assume? When did you assume?""Well, when you came to visit me in April, it looked like things were pretty much sewn up, if you know what I mean. You're not very hard to read, sweetie. But I didn't say anything because I knew it wouldn't do any good. You're exactly like Charlie." She'd sighed, resigned. "Once you make up your mind, there is no reasoning with you. Of course, exactly like Charlie, you stick by your decisions, too."And then she'd said the last thing that I'd ever expected to hear from my mother.  
**

"Yep" i agreed with my self. "I was definately not expecting that."

**** **"You're not making my mistakes, Bella. You sound like you're scared silly, and I'm guessing it's because you're afraid of me." She'd giggled. "Of what I'm going to think. And I know I've said a lot of things about marriage and stupidity—and I'm not taking them back—but you need to realize that those things specifically applied to me. You're a completely different person than I am. You make your own kinds of mistakes, and I'm sure you'll have your share of regrets in life. But commitment was never your problem, sweetie. You have a better chance of making this work than most forty-year-olds I know." Renee had laughed again. "My little middle-aged child. **

I frowned, i didn't like being called that.

**Luckily, you seem to have found another old soul." **

"Ya, like World War 2 old." Boomed Emmet laughing.

**"You're not... mad? You don't think I'm making a humongous mistake?" "Well, sure, I wish you'd wait a few more years. I mean, do I look old enough to be a mother-in-law to you? Don't answer that. But this isn't about me. This is about you. Are you happy?" "I don't know. I'm having an out-of-body experience right now."Renee had chuckled. "Does he make you happy, Bella?" "Yes, but—" "Are you ever going to want anyone else?""No, but—" "But what?" "But aren't you going to say that I sound exactly like every other infatuated teenager since the dawn of time?" "You've never been a teenager, sweetie. You know what's best for you." For the last few weeks, Renee had unexpectedly immersed herself in wedding plans. She'd spent hours every day on the phone with Edward's mother, Esme—no worries about the in-laws getting along.  
**

**Renee adored Esme, **

Esme beamed at that. She loved Renee just as much.

**but then, I doubted anyone could help responding that way to my lovable almost-mother-in-law.  
**

"Thank you Bella" Esme said squeezing me lovingly.

**** **It let me right off the hook. Edward's family and my family were taking care of the nuptials together without my having to do or know or think too hard about any of it.  
**

**** **Charlie was furious, of course, but the sweet part was that he wasn't furious at me. Renee was the traitor. He'd counted on her to play the heavy. What could he do now, when his ultimate threat—telling Mom—had turned out to be utterly empty? He had nothing, and he knew it. So he moped around the house, muttering things about not being able to trust anyone in this world_"Dad?" I called as I pushed open the front door. "I'm home." "Hold on, Bells, stay right there." "Huh?" I asked, pausing automatically.  
**

**"Gimme a second. Ouch, you got me, Alice." Alice?  
**

"Alice!" Renesmee and Alice both screamed at the mention of her being mentioned.

**** **"Sorry, Charlie," Alice's trilling voice responded. "How's that?" "I'm bleeding on it." "You're fine. Didn't break the skin—trust me." "What's going on?" I demanded, hesitating in the doorway.  
**

**** **"Thirty seconds, please, Bella," Alice told me. "Your patience will be rewarded." "Humph," Charlie added.  
**

"I remember this" Me and Alice both stated.

**** **I tapped my foot, counting each beat. Before I got to thirty, Alice said, "Okay, Bella, come in!" Moving with caution, I rounded the little corner into our living room.  
**

**** **"Oh," I huffed. "Aw. Dad. Don't you look—" "Silly?" Charlie interrupted.  
**

**** **"I was thinking more like debonair" Charlie blushed. Alice took his elbow and tugged him around into a slow spin to showcase the pale gray tux.  
**

**** **"Now cut that out, Alice. I look like an idiot." **

"Oh i wouldn't insult Alice." Edward said wisely. Haha he must be speaking from experience.

**"No one dressed by me ever looks like an idiot." "She's right, Dad. You look fabulous! What's the occasion?"Alice rolled her eyes.**

"Wow!" This time it was Jasper, "How could you forget something like that."

**"It's the final check on the fit. For both of you."I peeled my gaze off the unusually elegant Charlie for the first time and saw the dreaded white garment bag laid carefully across the sofa.**

**"Aaah." "Go to your happy place, Bella. It won't take long." I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes. Keeping them shut, I stumbled my way up the stairs to my room. I stripped down to my underwear and held my arms straight out.  
**

Emmet whistled. Rosalie slapped him. Edward growled.

And i knew if i could, i would be blushing.

**** **"You'd think I was shoving bamboo splinters under your nails," Alice muttered to herself as she followe dme in.**

**I paid no attention to her. I was in my happy place.**

**In my happy place, the whole wedding mess was over and done. Behind me. Already repressed and forgotten.  
**

**** **We were alone, just Edward and me.**

I leaned over and kissed my husband. We were interrupted though by a loud cough. I sighed and pulled away.

**The setting was fuzzy and constantly in flux—it morphed from misty forest to cloud-covered city to arctic night—because Edward was keeping the location of our honeymoon a secret to surprise me. But I wasn't especially concerned about the where part.  
**

**** **Edward and I were together, and I'd fulfilled my side of our compromise perfectly. I'd married him. That was the big one. But I'd also accepted all his outrageous gifts and was registered, however futilely, to attend Dartmouth College in the fall. **

"Which you never did." he mumbled.

"Well sometimes things get changed." I told him looking at our daughter in his arms.

**Now it was his turn.  
**

**** **Before he turned me into a vampire—his big compromise—he had one other stipulation to make good on.  
**

**** **Edward had an obsessive sort of concern over the human things that I would be giving up, thee xperiences he didn't want me to miss. Most of them—like the prom, for example—seemed silly to me.  
**

**** **There was only one human experience I worried about missing. Of course it would be the one he wishedI would forget completely.  
**

"What was the compromise?" asked Nessie looking at me with her big eyes full of curiosity.

I was quiet trying to figure out how to phrase my answer.

"Um. You see…" I stuttered.

Luckley i was saved from my answer when they continued with the book.

**Here was the thing, though. I knew a little about what I was going to be like when I wasn't human anymore. I'd seen newborn vampires firsthand, and I'd heard all my family-to-be's stories about those wild early days. For several years, my biggest personality trait was going to be thirsty, it would takes ome time before I could be me again. And even when I was in control of myself, I would never feel exactly the way I felt now.**

****

**Human... and passionately in love.**

****

**I wanted the complete experience before I traded in my warm, breakable, pheromone-riddled body for something beautiful, strong... and unknown. I wanted a real honeymoon with Edward. And, despite the danger he feared this would put me in, he'd agreed to try.  
**

**** **I was only vaguely aware of Alice and the slip and slide of satin over my skin. I didn't care, for the moment, that the whole town was talking about me. I didn't think about the spectacle I would have to star in much too soon. I didn't worry about tripping on my train or giggling at the wrong moment or being too young or the staring audience or even the empty seat where my best friend should be.  
**

"Well she did come." Alice reminded me.

**** **I was with Edward in my happy place.**

"Done!" Alice announced.

"Ill read now." Edward told her. Releasing the hand that was around me to grab the book.

We were about to continue to the next chapter, when someone knocked on the door and in came…..

**Well there is the first chapter! :) hope you liked it! Tell me by reviewing. **

**New Questions:**

**1.) What is the last sentence in the book Breaking Dawn?**

**2.) What book does James die? Laurent? and Victoria?**

**3.) What sport does Bella's step dad Phil play?**

**4.) Give a detailed description of Renesmee's physical characteristics. **


	3. Not A Chapter, But Please Read!

**Hey my lovely followers, sorry if you thought this was a chapter. I just wanted to tell you all to go read by new story called Hidden Secrets, So far no one had reviewed, so i don't know how it is. It would mean a lot to me if you read it. I will post the summary of it below.**

**If you guys go read it and review, i will post another chapter for this story. So please please please! :D**

**Summary:**

Renesmee, Jacob, & their kids life after Breaking Dawn. Go with them through their daily lives full of school, new friends, and mysteries to solve. Secrets may unravel as the band of Vampire and Werewolf siblings make their way into Forever! 3


	4. Chapter 2- Long Night's

**Sorry it's been so long! Hopefully you like it. Please **

**Anyway the chapter is dedicated to: for answering the questons first.**

**1.) ****abishop47**

**2.) ****Seaweed Fish Girl**

**3.) ****9 tailed vixen **

**Also thanks to ****MissAlli for the awesome support.**

"Jakie" Nessie screamed.

I could hear Edward groan. We had agreed to be ok with Jake around, but that still didn't mean they were Best Friends.

"Hey Ness" I heard Jake say as he picked her up.

"Guess what Jake?" she asked him in her musical voice.

After many stupid guesses on Jacob's part, including "Blondie being kidnaped" and "Edward being abducted by aliens", Renesmee told him that we were reading a book about mommy and daddy.

Jacob, though he looked a little confused sat down.

"Ok then lets get started."

**Long Night**

"**I miss you already."**

"Of course"

"**I don't need to leave. I can stay. . . ."**

"**Mmm."**

**It was quiet for a long moment, just the thud of my heart hammering, the broken rhythm of our ragged breathing, and the whisper of our lips moving in synchronization.**

"Awkward" Emmett laughed and if Bella could, she would be blushing.

**Sometimes it was so easy to forget that I was kissing a vampire. Not because he seemed ordinary or human—I could never for a second forget that I was holding someone more angel than man in my arms—**

Jasper this time snorted, "Really Bells, Angel?"

"Hey! My daddy is a Angel." Renesmee giggled hugging her dad.

Jacob raised his eyebrows but didn't argue with her.

**but because he made it seem like nothing at all to have his lips against my lips, my face, my throat. **

"God Bella, what are you making your child read." Jacob told her, tsking.

Bella threw a pillow at him, which smacked him right in the face.

**He claimed he was long past the temptation my blood used to be for him, that the idea of losing me had cured him of any desire for it. **

Edward winced visibly and pulled Bella even tighter towards him.

**But I knew the smell of my blood still caused him pain—still burned his throat like he was inhaling flames.**

Edward shook his head, sighing and Renesmee buried her face into her daddy's chest, trying to comfort him.

Bella squeezed his hand, and he smiled at both of his girls.

**I opened my eyes and found his open, too, staring at my face. It made no sense when he looked at me that way. Like I was the prize rather than the outrageously lucky winner.**

Edward rolled his eyes. "Honestly Bella", he whispered, "When will you see how perfect you are"

"Nobody's perfect" I told him.

He laughed "With the exception of you."

"Hmmp" I turned my gage back to the book.

**Our gazes locked for a moment; his golden eyes were so deep that I imagined I could see all the way into his soul. It seemed silly that this fact—the existence of his soul—had ever been in question, even if he was a vampire. He had the most beautiful soul, more beautiful than his brilliant mind or his incomparable face or his glorious body.**

"Ok I'm already disgusted" Guess who said that? Emmett!

I swear him and Jacob were going to kill us (HAHA) by the end of this book with all their dumb comments.

**He looked back at me as if he could see my soul, too, and as if he liked what he saw.**

**He couldn't see into my mind, though, the way he saw into everyone else's. **

"Which is so irritating" Edward mumbled to Bella.

**Who knew why—some strange glitch in my brain that made it immune to all the extraordinary and frightening things some immortals could do. (Only my mind was immune; my body was still subject to vampires with abilities that worked in ways other than Edward's.) But I was seriously grateful to whatever malfunction it was that kept my thoughts a secret. It was just too embarrassing to consider the alternative.**

Everyone looked a little jealous.

"That still isn't fair" Emmett grumbled.

"Trust me" Edward said. "I really don't want to have to hear your thoughts" Edward shuttered.

**I pulled his face to mine again.**

"When will this be over?" Jacob groaned.

"Ya well Jacob, I'm not keen on you hearing my every personal thought either!"

"**Definitely staying," he murmured a moment later.**

Everyone laughed.

"**No, no. It's your bachelor party. You have to go."**

"Oh so that's what it is." Alice nodded.

"Wow bro, you didn't actually think you could skip out."

**I said the words, but the fingers of my right hand locked into his bronze hair, my left pressed tighter against the small of his back. His cool hands stroked my face.**

"**Bachelor parties are designed for those who are sad to see the passing of their single days. I couldn't be more eager to have mine behind me. So there's really no point."**

"**True." I breathed against the winter-cold skin of his throat.**

**This was pretty close to my happy place. **

Edward smiled at this. And Renesmee wrapped her arms around her parents lovingly.

**Charlie slept obliviously in his room, which was almost as good as being alone. We were curled up on my small bed, intertwined as much as it was possible, considering the thick afghan I was swathed in like a cocoon. I hated the necessity of the blanket, but it sort of ruined the romance when my teeth started chattering. Charlie would notice if I turned the heat on in August. . . .**

Everyone laughed as Bella hid her face in Edwards shirt.

"Naughty Naughty Bella" Emmett said.

**At least, if I had to be bundled up, Edward's shirt was on the floor. I never got over the shock of how perfect his body was—white, cool, and polished as marble. I ran my hand down his stone chest now, tracing across the flat planes of his stomach, just marveling. A light shudder rippled through him, and his mouth found mine again. Carefully, I let the tip of my tongue press against his glass smooth lip, and he sighed. His sweet breath washed—cold and delicious—over my face.**

**He started to pull away—that was his automatic response whenever he decided things had gone too far, his reflex reaction whenever he most wanted to keep going. Edward had spent most of his life rejecting any kind of physical gratification. I knew it was terrifying to him trying to change those habits now.**

"**Wait," I said, gripping his shoulders and hugging myself close to him. I kicked one leg free and wrapped it around his waist. "Practice makes perfect."**

Jasper coughed awkwardly.

**He chuckled. "Well, we should be fairly close to perfection by this point, then, shouldn't we? Have you slept at all in the last month?"**

"Ok!" Bella said, "Why does Renesmee have to be here."

And without a word she scooped up her daughter and left the room, saying to come get them when the embarrassing stuff was over.

"**But this is the dress rehearsal," I reminded him, "and we've only practiced certain scenes. It's no time for playing safe."**

"Oh that's not going to play out good with Eddie boy" Emmett told them.

"Don't call me Eddie Boy" Edward growled.

Emmett just laughed, while Rosalie slapped him for "Being an Idiot".

**I thought he would laugh, but he didn't answer, and his body was motionless with sudden stress. The gold in his eyes seemed to harden from a liquid to a solid.**

"Told ya!"

**I thought over my words, realized what he would have heard in them.**

"**Bella…," he whispered.**

"**Don't start this again," I said. "A deal's a deal."**

"Ooh a deal?"

"**I don't know. It's too hard to concentrate when you're with me like this. I—I can't think straight. I won't be able to control myself. You'll get hurt."**

"**I'll be fine."**

"**Bella . . ."**

"**Shh!" I pressed my lips to his to stop his panic attack. I'd heard it before. He wasn't getting out of this deal. Not after insisting I marry him first.**

**He kissed me back for a moment, but I could tell he wasn't as into it as before.**

**Worrying, always worrying. How different it would be when he didn't need to worry about me anymore. What would he do with all his free time? He'd have to get a new hobby.**

**Everyone started cracking up.**

"Oh funny little Bella" Emmett said like a little kid.

"**How are your feet?" he asked.**

"Now if we weren't talking about a wedding, this would just be weird."

"Emmett!" Esme said exasperated. "Enough interrupting."

"Yes mom" He asked suddenly frightened.

Carlisle laughed at the affect his wife had on his son.

**Knowing he didn't mean that literally, I answered, "Toasty warm."**

"**Really? No second thoughts? It's not too late to change your mind."**

"**Are you trying to ditch me?"**

**He chuckled. "Just making sure. I don't want you to do anything you're not sure about."**

"**I'm sure about you. The rest I can live through."**

"Awee!" You could hear from the other room.

"Read quieter!" another voice yelled.

They all laughed.

**He hesitated, and I wondered if I'd put my foot in my mouth again.**

"**Can you?" he asked quietly. "I don't mean the wedding—which I am positive you will survive despite your qualms—but afterward… what about Renée, what about Charlie?"**

**I sighed. "I'll miss them." Worse, that they would miss me, but I didn't want to give him any fuel.**

Edward sighed.

"**Angela and Ben and Jessica and Mike."**

"**I'll miss my friends, too." I smiled in the darkness. "Especially Mike. Oh, Mike! How will I go on?"**

"Love you sis" Emmett yelled to the other room as the whole group was laughing so hard.

Edward just glowered at his brother, who smirked at him.

**He growled.**

"Be nice" Esme reprehended him

**I laughed but then was serious. "Edward, we've been through this and through this. I know it will be hard, but this is what I want. I want you, and I want you forever. One lifetime is simply not enough for me."**

"**Frozen forever at eighteen," he whispered.**

"Doesn't sound so bad" Rosalie said, "When you put it like that….

But it is"

"**Every woman's dream come true," I teased.**

"**Never changing… never moving forward."**

"**What does that mean?"**

**He answered slowly. "Do you remember when we told Charlie we were getting married? And he thought you were… pregnant?"**

"**And he thought about shooting you," I guessed with a laugh. "Admit it—for one second, he honestly considered it."**

**He didn't answer.**

"**What, Edward?"**

"**I just wish… well, I wish that he'd been right."**

"Way to scare her off man" Jacob said with a laugh.

"**Gah," I gasped.**

"**More that there was some way he could have been. That we had that kind of potential, I hate taking that away from you, too."**

Rosalie winced.

**It took me a minute. "I know what I'm doing."**

"**How could you know that, Bella? Look at my mother, look at my sister. It's not as easy a sacrifice as you imagine."**

Rosalie buried her face into Emmett's chest, and he sighed rubbing her back.

"**Esme and Rosalie get by just fine. If it's a problem later, we can do what Esme did—we'll adopt."**

**He sighed, and then his voice was fierce. "It's not right! I don't want you to have to make sacrifices for me. I want to give you things, not take things away from you. I don't want to steal your future. If I were human—"**

**I put my hand over his lips. "You are my future. Now stop. No moping, or I'm calling your brothers to come and get you. Maybe you need a bachelor party."**

"HAHA sucker"

"Shut it Emmett!"

"Boys!"

"Sorry mom."

"**I'm sorry. I am moping, aren't I? Must be the nerves."**

"**Are your feet cold?"**

"**Not in that sense. **

"Oh that's funny."

**I've been waiting a century to marry you, Miss Swan. The wedding ceremony is the one thing I can't wait—" He broke off mid-thought. "Oh, for the love of all that's holy!"**

"Edward Mason Cullen!"

"Sorry Esme."

"**What's wrong?"**

**He gritted his teeth. "You don't have to call my brothers. Apparently Emmett and Jasper are not going to let me bow out tonight."**

**I clutched him closer for one second and then released him. I didn't have a prayer of winning a tug-of-war with Emmett. **

Emmett flexed his muscles, "Of course not!" he boomed.

"Oh I wouldn't be so cocky Emmett" Bella yelled. "I beat you the other day."

Emmett was quiet, so Edward continued to read.

"**Have fun."**

**There was a squeal against the window—someone deliberately scraping their steel nails across the glass to make a horrible, cover-your-ears, goose-bumps-down your- spine noise. I shuddered.**

"**If you don't send Edward out," Emmett—still invisible in the night—hissed menacingly, "we're coming in after him!"**

"Emmett why?" Esme asked.

"**Go," I laughed. "Before they break my house."**

**Edward rolled his eyes, but he got to his feet in one fluid movement and had his shirt back on in another. He leaned down and kissed my forehead.**

"**Get to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow."**

"**Thanks! That's sure to help me wind down."**

"**I'll meet you at the altar."**

"**I'll be the one in white." I smiled at how perfectly blasé I sounded.**

"Awe how cute!" Bella squealed sounding just like Nessie.

How alike they really were.

**He chuckled, said, "Very convincing," and then suddenly sank into a crouch, his muscles coiled like a spring. He vanished—launching himself out my window too swiftly for my eyes to follow.**

**Outside, there was a muted thud, and I heard Emmett curse.**

"**You'd better not make him late," I murmured, knowing they could hear.**

**And then Jasper's face was peering in my window, his honey hair silver in the weak moonlight that worked through the clouds.**

"**Don't worry, Bella. We'll get him home in plenty of time."**

**I was suddenly very calm, and my qualms all seemed unimportant. Jasper was, in his own way, just as talented as Alice with her uncannily accurate predictions.**

Jasper smiled at what his sister said. And Alice said "Of course you are".

**Jasper's medium was moods rather than the future, and it was impossible to resist feeling the way he wanted you to feel.**

**I sat up awkwardly, still tangled in my blanket. "Jasper? What do vampires do for bachelor parties? You're not taking him to a strip club, are you?"**

"**Don't tell her anything!" Emmett growled from below. There was another thud, and Edward laughed quietly.**

"Your so mean" Bella said walking back into the room, sensing the worst over.

"**Relax," Jasper told me—and I did. "We Cullens have our own version. Just a few mountain lions, a couple of grizzly bears. Pretty much an ordinary night out."**

**I wondered if I would ever be able to sound so cavalier about the "vegetarian" vampire diet.**

"**Thanks, Jasper."**

**He winked and dropped from sight.**

**It was completely silent outside. Charlie's muffled snores droned through the walls**

**I lay back against my pillow, sleepy now. I stared at the walls of my little room, bleached pale in the moonlight, from under heavy lids.**

**My last night in my room, My last night as Isabella Swan. Tomorrow night, I would be Bella Cullen. Though the whole marriage ordeal was a thorn in my side, I had to admit that I liked the sound of that.**

"Me too" Edward whispered in her ear. She smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

**I let my mind wander idly for a moment, expecting sleep to take me. But, after a few minutes, I found myself more alert, anxiety creeping back into my stomach, twisting it into uncomfortable positions. The bed seemed too soft, too warm without Edward in it. Jasper was far away, and all the peaceful, relaxed feelings were gone with him.**

"Sorry" Jasper apologized.

**It was going to be a very long day tomorrow.**

**I was aware that most of my fears were stupid—I just had to get over myself.**

**Attention was an inevitable part of life.**

"Oh Bella" Alice groaned.

**I couldn't always blend in with the scenery. However, I did have a few specific worries that were completely valid.**

**First there was the wedding dress's train. Alice clearly had let her artistic sense overpower racticalities on that one. Maneuvering the Cullens' staircase in heels and a train sounded impossible.**

"It was" Bella grumbled.

**I should have practiced.**

**Then there was the guest list.**

**Tanya's family, the Denali clan, would be arriving sometime before the ceremony.**

**It would be touchy to have Tanya's family in the same room with our guests from the Quileute reservation, Jacob's father and the Clearwaters. The Denalis were no fans of the werewolves. In fact, Tanya's sister Irina was not coming to the wedding at all. She still nursed a vendetta against the werewolves for killing her friend Laurent (just as he was about to kill me). **

Bella sighed, she still felt bad about Irina's lifestyle choice.

**Thanks to that grudge, the Denalis had abandoned Edward's family in their worst hour of need. It had been the unlikely alliance with the Quileute wolves that had saved all our lives when the horde of newborn vampires had attacked. . . .**

**Edward had promised me it wouldn't be dangerous to have the Denalis near the Quileutes. Tanya and all her family—besides Irina—felt horribly guilty for that defection. A truce with the werewolves was a small price to make up some of that debt, a price they were prepared to pay.**

Carlisle smiled at the mention of his friends. Luckily they were all able to get along together.

**That was the big problem, but there was a small problem, too: my fragile self-esteem.I'd never seen Tanya before, but I was sure that meeting her wouldn't be a pleasant experience for my ego. Once upon a time, before I was born probably, she'd made her play for Edward—not that I blamed her or anyone else for wanting him. Still, she would be beautiful at the very least and magnificent at best. Though Edward clearly—if inconceivably—preferred me, I wouldn't be able to help making comparisons.**

"Don't" Edward whispered to Bella, "I want you and only you"

She smiled up at him lovingly.

**I had grumbled a little until Edward, who knew my weaknesses, made me feel guilty.**

"**We're the closest thing they have to family, Bella," he'd reminded me. "They still feel like orphans, you know, even after all this time."**

**So I'd conceded, hiding my frown.**

**Tanya had a big family now, almost as big as the Cullens. There were five of them;**

"Now 4" and it was suddenly very somber in the room.

Our clan had grown, but at the price of their clan loosing a member.

**Tanya, Kate, and Irina had been joined by Carmen and Eleazar much the same way the Cullens had been joined by Alice and Jasper, all of them bonded by their desire to live more compassionately than normal vampires did.**

**For all the company, though, Tanya and her sisters were still alone in one way.**

**Still in mourning. Because a very long time ago, they'd had a mother, too.**

**I could imagine the hole that loss would leave, even after a thousand years; I tried to visualize the Cullen family without their creator, their center, and their guide—their father, Carlisle. I couldn't see it.**

"Me either" They all admitted.

Carlisle smiled at his "kids" they were really just like children to him. He loved them so very much.

**Carlisle had explained Tanya's history during one of the many nights I'd stayed late at the Cullens' home, learning as much as I could, preparing as much as was possible for the future I'd chosen. Tanya's mother's story was one among many, a cautionary tale illustrating just one of the rules I would need to be aware of when**

**I joined the immortal world. Only one rule, actually—one law that broke down into a thousand different facets: Keep the secret.**

**Keeping the secret meant a lot of things—living inconspicuously like the Cullens, moving on before humans could suspect they weren't aging. Or keeping clear of humans altogether—except at mealtime—the way nomads like James and Victoria had lived; the way Jasper's friends, Peter and Charlotte, still lived. It meant keeping control of whatever new vampires you created, like Jasper had done when he'd lived with Maria. Like Victoria had failed to do with her newborns.**

They all shuddered at that memory.

**And it meant not creating some things in the first place, because some creations were uncontrollable.**

"**I don't know Tanya's mother's name," Carlisle had admitted, his golden eyes, almost the exact shade of his fair hair, sad with remembering Tanya's pain. "They never speak of her if they can avoid it, never think of her willingly.**

"**The woman who created Tanya, Kate, and Irina—who loved them, I believe— lived many years before I was born, during a time of plague in our world, the plague of the immortal children.**

"**What they were thinking, those ancient ones, I can't begin to understand. They created vampires out of humans who were barely more than infants."**

"It's sick and wrong." Carlisle agreed.

**I'd had to swallow back the bile that rose in my throat as I'd pictured what he was describing.**

"**They were very beautiful," Carlisle had explained quickly, seeing my reaction.**

"**So endearing, so enchanting, you can't imagine. You had but to be near them to love them; it was an automatic thing.**

"**However, they could not be taught. They were frozen at whatever level of development they'd achieved before being bitten. Adorable two-year-olds with dimples and lips that could destroy half a village in one of their tantrums. If they hungered, they fed, and no words of warning could restrain them. Humans saw them, stories circulated, fear spread like fire in dry brush. . . .**

"**Tanya's mother created such a child. As with the other ancients, I cannot fathom her reasons." He'd taken a deep, steadying breath. "The Volturi became involved, of course."**

Jacob flinched, remembering the creepy vampires in cloaks.

**I'd flinched as I always did at that name, but of course the legion of Italian vampires—royalty in their own estimation—was central to this story. There couldn't be a law if there was no punishment; there couldn't be a punishment if there was no one to deliver it. The ancients Aro, Caius, and Marcus ruled the Volturi forces; I'd only met them once, but in that brief encounter, it seemed to me that Aro, with his powerful mind-reading gift—one touch, and he knew every thought a mind had ever held—was the true leader.**

"**The Volturi studied the immortal children, at home in Volterra and all around the world. Caius decided the young ones were incapable of protecting our secret.**

**And so they had to be destroyed.**

"**I told you they were loveable. Well, covens fought to the last man—were utterly decimated—to protect them. The carnage was not as widespread as the southern wars on this continent, but more devastating in its own way. Long-established covens, old traditions, friends… Much was lost. In the end, the practice was completely eliminated. The immortal children became unmentionable, a taboo.**

"**When I lived with the Volturi, I met two immortal children, so I know firsthand the appeal they had. Aro studied the little ones for many years after the catastrophe they'd caused was over. You know his inquisitive disposition; he was hopeful that they could be tamed. But in the end, the decision was unanimous: the immortal children could not be allowed to exist."**

Esme looked saddened.

**I'd all but forgotten the Denali sisters' mother when the story returned to her.**

"**It is unclear precisely what happened with Tanya's mother," Carlisle had said.**

"**Tanya, Kate, and Irina were entirely oblivious until the day the Volturi came for them, their mother and her illegal creation already their prisoners. It was ignorance that saved Tanya's and her sisters' lives. Aro touched them and saw their total innocence, so they were not punished with their mother.**

"Such a sad story" Edward sighed, saying what everyone thought.

"Let it teach us all something."

"**None of them had ever seen the boy before, or dreamed of his existence, until the day they watched him burn in their mother's arms. I can only guess that their mother had kept her secret to protect them from this exact outcome. But why had she created him in the first place? Who was he, and what had he meant to her that would cause her to cross this most uncrossable of lines? Tanya and the others never received an answer to any of these questions. But they could not doubt their mother's guilt, and I don't think they've ever truly forgiven her.**

"It would be hard to" Bella agreed.

"**Even with Aro's perfect assurance that Tanya, Kate, and Irina were innocent, Caius wanted them to burn. Guilty by association. They were lucky that Aro felt like being merciful that day. Tanya and her sisters were pardoned, but left with unhealing hearts and a very healthy respect for the law. . . ."**

**I'm not sure where exactly the memory turned into a dream. One moment it seemed that I was listening to Carlisle in my memory, looking at his face, and then a moment later I was looking at a gray, barren field and smelling the thick scent of burning incense in the air. I was not alone there.**

Bella remembered this dream and leaned in closer to her husband.

**The huddle of figures in the center of the field, all shrouded in ashy cloaks, should have terrified me—they could only be Volturi, and I was, against what they'd decreed at our last meeting, still human. But I knew, as I sometimes did in dreams, that I was invisible to them.**

**Scattered all around me were smoking heaps. I recognized the sweetness in the air and did not examine the mounds too closely. I had no desire to see the faces of the vampires they had executed, half afraid that I might recognize someone in the smoldering pyres.**

**The Volturi soldiers stood in a circle around something or someone, and I heard their whispery voices raised in agitation. I edged closer to the cloaks, compelled by the dream to see whatever thing or person they were examining with such intensity. Creeping carefully between two of the tall hissing shrouds, I finally saw the object of their debate, raised up on a little hillock above them.**

Everyone was holding their breath, wondering what was causing Bella to have such a terrible, cruel dream.

**He was beautiful, adorable, just as Carlisle had described. The boy was a toddler still, maybe two years of age. Light brown curls framed his cherubic face with its round cheeks and full lips. And he was trembling, his eyes closed as if he was too frightened to watch death coming closer every second.**

"Oh

**I was struck with such a powerful need to save the lovely, terrified child that the Volturi, despite all their devastating menace, no longer mattered to me. I shoved past them, not caring if they realized my presence. Breaking free of them altogether, I sprinted toward the boy.**

**Only to stagger to a halt as I got a clear view of the hillock that he sat upon. It was not earth and rock, but a pile of human bodies, drained and lifeless. Too late not to see these faces. I knew them all—Angela, Ben, Jessica, Mike.… And directly beneath the adorable boy were the bodies of my father and my mother. **

Edward grabbed Bella and held her close, just as she did to Renesmee.

**The child opened his bright, bloodred eyes.**

"The chapter is over" Edward announced breaking the silence.

"Ok I guess I can read next" and Rosalie grabbed the book.

**Chapter Question:**

**1.) Is Renesmee shown to be older in the book or movie?**

**2.) How old is Bella when she is changed?**

**3.) What does Bella give Renesmee for Christmas? Edward? Jacob?**


End file.
